Page 24

"...We're all just trying to make a living." Cheng Lang looked pitifully at Wang, his voice hoarse. "Is there any water?"

Wang turned around, about to tell one of his men to get Cheng Lang a bottle of water. Shen Huaiyu came over from behind and handed the bottled water in his hand to Cheng Lang.

Cheng Lang twisted open the cap and gulped down more than half the bottle in one go, finally feeling as relieved as a salted fish on the beach hopping back into the sea.

Wang glanced at Shen Huaiyu, then continued speaking to Cheng Lang. "...You did well tonight."

Before Cheng Lang could reply, Wang added, "As for the contract, I admit it. I invited Lü here this time because I wanted to recommend Tianye. That kid's talented. If he can't debut, it really would be a waste of his potential. He's different from you. You don't want to make a living in this line of work, but he can't live without it. I—"

"I understand." Cheng Lang cut Wang off and looked at Meng Tianye, who had somehow wandered over. "What are you standing there for? Go talk to Lü."

When Wang turned around, he saw Meng Tianye standing behind him, staring stubbornly at Cheng Lang with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Wang's heart sank. This is bad. He hurriedly tried to persuade him. "Don't go getting wild ideas, kid. Lü—"

"Wang!" Meng Tianye interrupted him. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me. But forget it this time. Since Lü didn't like me, there's no need for me to shamelessly force myself on her."

"Tianye!" Wang's tone hardened. "You're not a child anymore. Stop being so immature. Don't throw a tantrum at a time like this!"

Meng Tianye said nothing. His face darkened as he turned away. He didn't need charity from anyone, especially not something Cheng Lang had given up for him. He didn't want it!

"This kid!" Wang was so angry he immediately chased after him.

Cheng Lang shook his head. What was the point of young people having such thin skin? Sooner or later, they would suffer for it.

"Don't learn from him," Cheng Lang warned Shen Huaiyu. "You need to be a little thicker-skinned and mentally tougher. As long as your heart is broad enough, there's no hurdle you can't get over."

Shen Huaiyu's brows relaxed into a faint smile. As if recalling something, he looked at Cheng Lang as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What is it?" Cheng Lang raised an eyebrow. "If you have something to say, say it."

Shen Huaiyu asked, "What if—"

After hesitating, Shen Huaiyu finally stammered, "What if Lü had insisted on having you today?"

Shen Huaiyu's gaze went slightly distant. "You said it too. Not every problem in this world can be solved with money. You can't buy willingness with all the money in the world. If someone forced you to do something you didn't want to do... forced you to be with them..."

Shen Huaiyu looked at Cheng Lang. "If it were you, what would you do?"

"It's actually easy enough." Cheng Lang stretched lazily and said with a smile, "If I ran into that situation, I'd find a way to become richer than him. Then I'd find a way to turn all his money into mine. When the time came, I'd tell him that although I didn't care for him as a person, I liked his money very much. Then I'd dump him and use his money to love all living things. Turn little love into great love for humanity."

Shen Huaiyu froze for a moment before finally understanding.

Cheng Lang patted Shen Huaiyu on the shoulder. "When it comes to living, the most important thing is being at peace with yourself. As long as you don't look down on yourself, all the gossip in the world can't hurt you."

"What if the harm has already been done?" Shen Huaiyu asked evasively.

Cheng Lang thought for a moment before slowly saying, "Then find a way to turn that harm into motivation."

Many times, those who carried heavy burdens could go farther than those who set out light.

Cheng Lang tossed the empty water bottle into the trash can. "I'm going to the restroom. Want to come with me?"

Shen Huaiyu paused, then shook his head.

"Then I'll go by myself," Cheng Lang said. After only a few steps, he heard Shen Huaiyu call out to him.

Cheng Lang turned around and saw Shen Huaiyu standing beneath the bar's flickering lights, speaking with complete sincerity. "Cheng Lang, thank you."

Cheng Lang raised an eyebrow, turned back around, and waved without looking back as he strode away—he really did need to use the restroom urgently.

Worried that the first-floor restroom would be crowded, Cheng Lang went up to the second floor as usual. But the moment he pushed open the door, he saw an exceptionally handsome man inside, a man whose every hair matched Cheng Lang's tastes perfectly. Cheng Lang's eyes lit up, and he boldly approached him. While relieving himself, he noticed the man looking at him thoughtfully with lowered eyes.

Cheng Lang felt a little uncomfortable under his stare. "What are you looking at?"

"Are you really impotent?" the man asked.

Cheng Lang: "..."

Cheng Lang struggled inwardly for a moment, but in the end, his professional ethics won out. He sighed softly, looked up at the lights, and spoke a deeply philosophical line. "If I say I can't, then I can't. Even if I can, I still can't."

After saying that, Cheng Lang went to wash his hands. With a flick of his sleeve, he left the restroom looking carefree and dashing.

The moment he stepped out, he nearly bumped into someone. Cheng Lang took a step back and saw Chen and a group of solemn-looking men in black suits standing outside. Cheng Lang raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence! Chen, you came to use the restroom too?"

Didn't the third floor have restrooms? Why were so many people lining up here?

Chen looked at him with an expression Cheng Lang couldn't quite understand. After studying him for a long while, he asked quietly, "You didn't say anything you shouldn't have, did you?"

Hearing that, Cheng Lang considered it very seriously. "Every word I said came from the bottom of my heart."

Chen: "..."

Forget it. Other than being reliably unreliable, there probably wasn't a single reliable thing about this kid.

Beside Chen, a refined-looking man with fox eyes and gold-rimmed glasses chuckled. He looked at Cheng Lang. "Are you interested in changing jobs?"

Perhaps because the guests' reactions that night had been too enthusiastic, Cheng Lang reflexively asked, "Performing crosstalk?"

The man with gold-rimmed glasses: "..."

As they spoke, Cheng Lang felt a light breeze brush the back of his head. He turned around and saw the man whose every hair perfectly suited his tastes walking out with an indifferent expression.